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:USA
Do you still fly?
When I had a King Air(we had several guys in on it) we had a retired AF General as our main pilot. The dude could fly that plane like nobody's business.
I don't know if it was his training or his style, but when the wheels left the ground we went straight up and when we landed it felt like we were diving.
When he took us on a test ride before we purchased the plane I actually kissed the ground after we landed.:hairraiser
"The greatest pleasure is to vanquish your enemies and chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth and see those dear to them bathed in tears, to ride their horses and clasp to your bosom their wives and daughters."
West coast SAR 1981 NASNI.
Yeah, NATOPS/SOP can be a double edged sword on occasion. In our case the boss made it abundantly clear that it would be in our best interest to clear the deck and reiterated the risks if the barricade was unsuccessful. Somehow I don't think the good Lt. (HAC) fully understood our impending dilemma ........NATOPS be damned was my vote but hey I wasn't the bus driver and the co-pilot was our Bull ensign so that was that. It entered my mind that maybe I should hop down out of the aircraft and make for the catwalk but hey, it was my birthday, nothing bad can happen, right?
Got to love the Cold War......lol
We were in starboard D/plane guard when we were ordered to keep this guy away from the deck of Big John. We were 8 months into our 6 month deployment so testosterone was running pretty high. Ivan was way faster and more maneuverable than us. Our bird began to come apart as we exceeded most flight parameters. The back half of the port sponson was the first to fly off and nearly take the tail rotor with it. Just another day.
Pic from someone on the flight deck. The ruskies had their way with us on that day.
Dang, Mango. Helo ACM. Gotta love that. "I feel the need. The need to fly slow."
Here's me and my badger.
http://www.amazon.com/big-bend/dp/1456453270
Amazing vids Jack!
:Popcorn
USS Stennis, Kennedy, Eisenhower, Enterprise, Truman
Spent many nights under the 3 wire but as you said you learn to sleep through it after 16-18 hours on deck. My first trip to the boat was to relieve a member who got hurt. They flew me in on the mail plane and threw my bags out the back door and said get out. I wondered around that boat for a good hour before I found my squadron. That first night was as much excitement as it was shear terror.
Whut? 106 is the Rag. What was you doing on them boats? CQ?
Oops, I mispoke. Except for the Kennedy, them ain't boats, they're country clubs.
http://www.amazon.com/big-bend/dp/1456453270
Yup, "Nugget" is the proper term for a young feller (23-24 y/o) who's survived the year-long undergraduate Navy pilot training and did well enough to get Hornets, the coolest jet in the fleet. And they sho-nuff ****-up the Oh en / Oh eff eff switch, just like we old salts changing aircraft do.
My smirk about that is tempered somewhat as I contemplate the 23-24 y/o's I know and hear about now, compared to those "nuggets." How 'bout you?
http://www.amazon.com/big-bend/dp/1456453270
Yeah, the ordeal of getting "everything and the kitchen sink" from the squadron spaces at NASJAX to the Kennedy in Norfolk (and then get it all out of the cruise boxes and setup) was a miserable 3 day evolution of no sleep and complete exhaustion which made getting to sleep (with ear plugs) on the 3rd day even possible.
Lol........JFK/HS-7 1985-1990 for me and still with the intermittent JP-5 showers in the 90s. Really gets your hair clean doesn't it. :hairraiser
FWIW I watched Jack's youtubes of flight deck ops and I have to say it did bring back some memories. Mostly the camaraderie which you tend to not have after you leave AD. Women were not allowed on carriers in my day and honestly some of the scenes with the chick (not sure exactly what her job was) and her mannerisms and comments made me kind of nauseous. A PC youtube I guess......got to get the split tail in there doing something.
Magot......our entire airwing was pretty **** good. In 1989 two of our Tomcats splashed two Libyan Migs. I was the swimmer enroute to pluck a survivor but when he started waving a pistol it was decided let him be.......what the hell would we do with him anyway?
I did Veet Nam cruises on the Ranger Boat and the Big E as an E-5 Aviation Fire Control Technician. Don't remember any water issues.
Years later, as a piloto, three Med cruises on the Forrestal, I remember a faint JP smell in the H2O. The worst thing, by far, was the fact that the hot water (approximately 450F) had higher pressure than the cold water. When the shower faucets were opened, the hot water over-powered the cold, and you were scalded. For three freakin cruises!
I'd do it again.
In the reserves I did a little time on some boats. Two week active duty, CQ, etc. They was B i t ches on them boats. Ridiculous.
http://www.amazon.com/big-bend/dp/1456453270
I was a shore bound Sailor. :cool: I guess pretty cushy compared to yall. Worked on Base but lived out in town.
Active Duty 83-87 NAS Chase Field, Beeville Texas VT-26(T2-C Buckeye) and VT-24(TA-4 Skyhawk).
Worked Flight line as a Plane Captain/Final Checker, Fuel Crew on the T2s for VT-26. Was the first "Jet the Young aviators got to learn in after their prop aircraft training(T34 and T-44 I believe).
We had a pilot and instructor go down outside of Skidmore in a T2 and make a big smoking hole. We never figured out why no ejection. I had the bad fortune of being on Duty weekend when it happened and was one of a few that had to go out to the crash site and stand watch as the rescue/recovery guys basically picked up everything they could. Not much left of the two guys.:angel
I Worked Phase Crew at VT-24 tearing A-4s apart for phase inspection/routine maintenance, and then fixing all the gripes/squaks we found with the birds. I was also turn qualified for hi and low power on the Skyhawk. After our phase inspections were done we would have to take the bird to an isolated place far from the hangers called High Power and would back the bird's tailpipe into a hush house, chain her down and I would turn it up and run a full systems check at low power and at full Military. Was fun.
After Active duty the squadrons in Beeville/Kingsville/Corpus Christi were going to civilian maintenance to train the Naval aviators. I just switched uniforms and got a Job back at VT-26 working for Dynelectron making 3 times the money I was as an AMH3 in the Navy. LOL. Plus, all the overtime we wanted. After awhile the Navy shut down NAS Chase Field in Beeville. I went to work at NAS Kingsville on A-4s for Lockheed, then Grumman. When I was getting ready to leave Kingsville back in 92, they were just bringing in the McDonnell Douglas T45 Goshawk you saw in Magot's Video.
They were to replace both the T2-C and TA-4J. They are still fulfilling that roll today.
The only Carrier time I had was on the Lady Lex in the Gulf of Mexico for our squadrons Carrier Quals. That's right, the old wooden flight deck Lexington. A crew of about 30 of us would go as ships company. The Regular crew would treat us as boot rookies (which we were on the carrier)trying to keep us from getting killed on the Flight Deck. All they allowed us shore based flight line boys to do was chock and chain/tiedown and do our Daily/Turna-around inspections for 2 solid weeks. Was still fun though. Has a wife back in town so I was not sad to only be out there 2 weeks. LOL.
Got to go on detachments to NAS Mirimar, North Island, Fallon Nevada, NAS Key West, NAS Corpus Christi.
Worked on KingAirs and Beechcraft for a brief time at Corpus.
We were proud of the work we did in TRA-Wing 3 training young Naval aviators. After they left us, they went on to their aircraft of choice and permanent duty stations.
That is where yalls great stories were made. Once again, I salute you. :USA
.........that's code for "I kept your girlfriend happy while you were gone." :grin
Just kidding with you Fishy but that's the way it was in the Jax or Norfolk area. I did 9 years of sea duty (consecutive) to get a good follow-up assignment .......so no time for anything serious anyway.
Magot has said he would do it all over again but I'm not so sure I would. Here I am at 55 just starting a family.......but hey I have more money now and more time to be a Dad. The other PIA issue I can remember is that sailors during that era were subjected to a lot of cigarette smoke. The smoking lamp was lit in most places aboard ship and in my 125 man berthing compartment, 85 guys would light up in the middle of the compartment whenever the day and night shift crews changed.
Afishy, I'm glad everything worked out for you shipmate. It's **** hot in Texas.
Whenever we would head out on a cruise I would bring as much bottled water as I could store in our shop(located in CVIC). Bad news was it never lasted long enough. As mentioned about, showers were always a b_tch. Freaking burn up one minute, no water the next, hot steam the next. Only step in the water long enough to get wet and semi-rinse off. Always be ready to jump out before getting cooked.
WINNING!